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REPORT 



MADE TO THE 



BEET SUGAR SOCIETY 



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j"^ 



OF PHILADELPHIA, 



ON THE CULTURE, IN FRANCE, OF THE BEET ROOT, AND MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR 

THEREFROM ; WITH MISCELLANEOUS REiMARKS ON THE SAME, 

AND ON THE CULTURE OF THE POrPV, AND EXTRACTION OF SALAD OIL 

FROM THE SEED ; FOR THE PURPOSE OF INTRODUCING, 

AND PERMANENTLY ESTABLISHING THESE VALUABLE BRANCHES OF 

AGRICULTURE AND MANUFACTURE IN THE UNITED STATED. 



BY 

JAMES PEDDER 

AGENT OF THE SOCIETY. 



PUBLISHED BY 
THE BEET SUGAR SOCIETY OF PHILADELPHIA, 

C. SHERMAN & CO., PRINTERS. 

1836. 



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Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in tlie year 1836, by Jacob 
Snider, junior, Secretary and Treasurer of the " Beet Sugar Society," in the 
Clerk's office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



PREFACE. 



In presenting to the public the report of their agent, the " Beet 
Sugar Society^'' deem it proper that the objects for which the Society 
has been formed, as well as the circumstances, which led to its 
formation, should be clearly set forth in this publication. James 
Ronaldson, Esq. the president of the Society, had for some years 
reflected upon, and given attention to the subject of introducing the 
sugar beet culture, and the manufacture of sugar therefrom into the 
United States. Through the instrumentality of John Vaughan, Esq., 
and the exertions of the present secretary of the Society, Mr. 
Ronaldson was made acquainted with Mr. James Pedder, a gentle- 
man who had, both here and in Europe, given attention to the 
subject, and who had watched with interest the progress of the 
French in perfecting the manufacture of beet sugar ; and having 
suggested to Messrs. Vaughan and Snider, the benefits that might 
eventually accrue to this country from its introduction, he was 
selected as the agent, to make a voyage to France, for the purpose 
of acquiring practical knowledge in these very important branches 
of agriculture and manufacture, in order to ensure their permanent 
and successful establishment in the United States. In the early 
part of January, 1836, Messrs. Ronaldson, Vaughan, and Snider, 
decided to tajce upon themselves the expense and risk of employing 
and commissioning Mr. Pedder to proceed to France for the above- 



mentioned purpose, relying upon their fellow-citizens for reimburse- 
ment of the expenses incurred. By an agreement made between 
them and Mr. Pedder, on the 6th day of February, 1836, (a copy of 
which is appended to this report,) the latter set forth on his mission 
on the 8th day of February last. From that period, the increased 
interest manifested on the subject throughout the country, has been 
the means of augmenting the number of donors to the expense of 
the undertaking. On the 16th day of May last, a meeting of the 
contributors was held, at which, information received from Mr. 
Pedder was submitted to them. It was then deemed expedient and 
proper, *'for the purpose of introducing into the United States, the 
culttire of the Sugar Beet, and the manufacture of sugar from the 
same ;" to organize a society having this for its object, and accord- 
ingly a society was formed, and a board of managers appointed to 
carry the same into effect. By the efforts of this society, a great 
interest has been excited in every portion of the country, from 
Louisiana to Maine, as the public prints and various inquiries testify. 
In the latter part of May, about 600 pounds of seed of the true 
sugar beet, were purchased and transmitted to Philadelphia, by the 
society's agent, then in France. The greater portion of this seed has 
been extensively distributed over the country, and without profit to 
the society. From the report, it will be seen when Mr. Pedder's 
mission terminated, and in what manner it has been performed. 
The board of managers have instructed their publishing committee, 
to make special mention of the worth of their agent, and the very 
faithful manner in which he has executed the trust confided to him, 
not only as regards the able manner in which he has answered the 
inquiries set forth in the agreement under which he acted, but also 
in reference to his extraordinary economy in the expenditure of the 
funds placed in his hands for the purposes of his mission, purchases 
of seed, &c ; and from the allowance of funds made to him after his 



departure, (in consequence of the extension of his mission,) above 
t^ie sums specified in the agreement ; an example of economy 
wortliy of imitation in the execution of like trusts. They also avail 
themselves of this method to testify to their fellow-citizens, their high 
sense of the obligations they consider themselves, and the country 
generally under to their agent, for the prompt and satisfactory 
manner in which he has performed his mission ; and thus publicly 
return to him, collectively and individually, their thanks. From the 
necessity of Mr. Pedder's remaining longer in France than was 
originally contemplated, and from the time and labour consumed in 
preparing and publishing much matter relating to the subject, the 
society has incurred a considerable augmentation of expense. The 
managers have also felt it incumbent on them, to reward their intel- 
ligent, industrious, and economical agent, by a donation of money, 
over and above the sum first agreed upon ; to all of which may be 
added the cost of importing and distributing the seed, and the publi- 
cation of this pamphlet ; the whole constituting an aggregate of no 
small amount, and which has fallen almost exclusively upon a few 
public spirited individuals. Under these circumstances, the mana- 
gers, who entertained the hope of giving the report gratis to the 
public, find it necessary to make a small charge for each copy. 

At the request of the society, Mr. Pedder has given them for 
publication, a few extracts from his diary, which contain important 
matter relating to beet-sugar making. 

The making of " salad oil," from the seed of the poppy, has now 
become a source of revenue to the French agriculturist. The so- 
ciety recommend its culture and manufacture to the farmers and 
enterprising capitalists of America. For the purpose of affording 
information on this latter subject, extracts from Mr. Pedder's diary 
relating to it, will be found appended to this work. 

JOS. S. LOVERING, ") 

SAMUEL BRECK, I Publishing Committee. 

JACOB SNIDER, Jr. J 



Donations to the funds of the " Beet Sugar Society" will be re- 
ceived and acknowledged, if transmitted to either of the following 
named officers of the society, 

JAS. RONALDSON, President, 

JOHN VAUGHAN, Vice President. 

JACOB SNIDER, Jr., Treas. & Sec. 

MANAGERS. 

Samuel Richards, B. M. Hollinshead, 

Nathan Dunn, Jos. Sill, 

Jos. D. Brown, John Richardson, 

Isaac S. Lloyd, Jas. Wood, 

Saml. Breck, Fred. Brown, 

Jos. S. Lovering, Geo. Zantzinger. 



REPORT. 



TO JAMES RONALDSON, JOHN VAUGHAN, AND JACOB SNIDER, JUN., ESQS. 

Philadelphia, August 6th, 1836. 
Gentlemen, 

On the 6th of February, I received your instructions to proceed to 
France, and examine into the present state of the culture of the beet 
and the manufacture of sugar therefrom, and I beg to lay before you 
a report of my proceedings in furtherance of the objects of my mis- 
sion. I commenced my journey on the 8th February, landed at 
Liverpool on the 2d March, and passing through London, where I 
obtained letters of introduction to several persons of the first respec- 
tability in France, reached Calais on the 10th, and, on the same day, 
examined a very large manufactory of sugar in that neighbourhood. 

On the 12th, at Bolougne, I delivered a letter of introduction from 
Dr. Bowring to Mons. Adam, the Mayor of the town, who furnished 
me with letters to three of the first manufacturers of sugar in the 
country, one of whom resided at Arras, the others at Valenciennes 
and Famars. 

On the 13th, I reached Paris, and delivered letters to Mr. Nan- 
crede; was engaged there until the 22d, when I left for Arras; ar- 
rived there on the 23d, and examined, on the same day, in company 
with a gentleman of that city, to whom I had brought letters, a sugar- 
house, constructed on the new principle of maceration, and was the 

next day introduced to Mr. C , of Arras, by virtue of the letter 

of M. Adam. Here I remained until the 29th, when, finding that his 
process of crushing would be in operation for some weeks longer, I 



8 

took the opportunity of visiting Lille, Douay, Valenciennes, and 
neighbourhoods, to ascertain at which of those places it was, that 
loaf-sugar was made from the beet, by a first and single operation ; 
as I had been repeatedly assured by many persons, even since my 
arrival in the sugar district, that it was so done, somewhere in the 
neighbourhood of those places ; and that there too, sugar was manu- 
factured without residuum or molasses ; but ascertaining that the 
report was utterly unfounded, I lost no time in returning to the 
manufactory at Arras, where the proprietor has the character of 
being one of the first and most successful manufacturers in France. 
During this journey I visited many large and flourishing establishments, 

but found none so well conducted as Mr. C 's, which determined 

me to remain and practice under him, that mode which had always 
kept its ground, through evil and through good report. Here, with 
other persons from various parts of the Continent, 1 met Professor 
Schubarth of Berlin, who, with Mr. Reish, had been deputed by the 
Prussian government, to examine into the mode practised in France, 
for the production of sugar from the beet, all of whom concurred in 

considering Mr. C 's method the best they had examined. From 

these gentlemen I obtained data which I could scarcely have hoped 
to be furnished with, by any other means : and in company with 
them, I examined the operations of machinery, which had been 
patented for the purpose of expediting the process of evaporation 
by inclined planes, which was not found to be applicable to the busi- 
ness of making sugar, for very obvious reasons. From Professor S. I 
learned the fascination which is spreading over the whole Continent 
on the subject of beet sugar ; he considers, that when well made, it 
is equal in every respect to that made from the cane, and that it can 
be manufactured to great profit, particularly in a national point of 
view. 

At Arras I continued until the crushing season was ended, when 
I returned to Valenciennes, as I had heard that a large manufacturer 
whom I had before visited had purchased, for $10,000, a secret by 
which he was preparing sugar without molasses. This gentleman 
admitted that he had been oflTered the secret for the sum mentioned, 
but had declined it ; proposing, however, to give the thing a fair trials 



9 

he added, " but at t!ie end of six weeks, I was making nothing but 
molasses." He believes that the person who claims to be the disco- 
verer of this mode of working, has collected a large sum by way of 
subscription ; but to prepare loaf sugar from the beet, by a first and 
single process, and to make sugar without molasses, he considers to 
be impossible, in the nature of things. 

In that neighbourhood it is, that a small manufacturer (Jean Jo- 
seph Lecerf) has succeeded in preparing sugar on a very small 
scale. I found his residence, a tavern in the village of Onain, in the 
front parlour of which, he had, however, contrived to manufacture 
about half a ton of sugar by means of machinery the most simple 
imaginable. In the fire-place of this room he had fixed his deffi- 
cator, evaporator, and boiler; his wife's washing-tubs served for 
receivers and coolers, and a single sugar-pan was sufficient for the 
reception of his whole day's working. His rasp, the only tolerable 
instrument which he was possessed of, made four hundred revolu- 
tions in a minute, and was driven by two of his sons. In this way 
he actually made good sugar, but his knowledge not extending to 
the purifying process, much of it remains on his hands unsaleable. 
On my inquiring how long each process required before its comple- 
tion, he replied, " I cannot say, for our operations were often com- 
pletely stopped by the crowds which came to witness them, but we 
sold large quantities of beer and brandy by which I did well." And 
in truth, this seemed his strongest incentive to labour. The work 
is discontinued in consequence of the fear of the impost law, but he 
absolutely much good sugar hi a room 14 feet square. I saw the 
medal which had been presented to him by the " Royal Central So- 
ciety for the Encouragement of Agriculture," of which he is justly 
proud. 

At Valenciennes, I again visited the large refinery for beet-sugar, 
capable of preparing two millions of pounds annually. The pro- 
prietor considers beet-sugar equal to cane-sugar, but even here, a 
considerable portion of inolasses is obtained, the refiner observing, 
" If I did not procure the impurity in the shape of molasses, it must 
still remain in the sugar, to its great deterioration." 

On my return from this journey I visited Cambray, famous for its 
sugar works as well as Cambrics, but in no place did I witness any 
process so applicable to our purpose as that practised at Arras. I 

2 



10 

left France, and reached London on the 8th of June, took ship on 
the 18th, and arrived at New York on the 2d of August. 

My numerous letters have made you acquainted with the state of 
things as they arose, but it would be impossible for me to do justice 
to the subject, were I to endeavour to detail the advantages which 
the cultivation of the sugar-beet has brought to France, and to the 
continent. 

Over the whole country which I have visited, I have not seen a 
single acre of fallow, but thousands of acres of sugar-beet ; the crops 
of all kinds clean as a garden and most luxuriant on kindly soils, 
giving employment to thousands of men, women, and childi'cn the 
whole year through, creating double rents and securing double crops 
in future years. The wheat straw of the farms, once used only as 
bedding for cattle, turned into the most nutritious and palatable 
food, by merely cutting it into chaff and steeping it in molasses and 
water for 24 hours ; cattle, sheep and horses devour it voraciously, 
and upon this and the cake of the beet, after the juice has been ex- 
pressed for the manufacture of sugar, both cattle and sheep are 
fattened in a very short space of time. 

By means of my numerous and valuable letters of introduction, I 
have enjoyed advantages which no money could have purchased, 
and I trust I have profited by them. I have had opportunities of 
witnessing every part of the business relating to the culture of the 
beet, and the manufacture of sugar from the root; my strayiger 
friends having communicated to me their valuable modes of pro- 
ceeding, in the most kind and generous manner. The gentleman 
with whom I have spent so large a portion of my time, is erecting 
another establishment for the beet-sugar business, which will be the 
eighth in which he is engaged. From these he expects to produce 
three millions of pounds of sugar the next year ; and on two farms 
near the town, he is cultivating 400 acres of beet this season. At 
his manufactory of animal carbon, he prepares that article for his 
extensive works, and to this establishment also, I have had access 
at all times, and the most unreserved communication with the 
manager of it. To Monsieur Crespel Delisse the country is mainly 
indebted for the continuance of the fabrication of sugar, as it had 
been all but abandoned ; he and the Duke of Ragusa, (Marshal 
Marmont,) being almost the only persons determined to pursue It to 



11 

the end. For his perseverance and skill, he lias obtained from his 
country a token of the order of merit, and is denominated " the 
Father of the beet-sugar manufacture of France," The uniform and 
very polite attentions which I have received from him, and every 
branch of his amiable family, I can never repay, but shall always 
remember with gratitude. Should you, gentlemen, think proper to 
adopt any part of the processes which I have witnessed, I beg leave 
to offer you my best services, and to assure you of my sincere and 
grateful respect. 

JAMES PEDDER. 

Here follow answers to the inquiries you did me the honour to 
entrust to me. 

ist. The quality of land best suited to the growth of the beet 1 

Ans. a healthy subsoil is indispensable : after this, it is cultivated 
on almost any, of course, with various degrees of success. In the 
neighbourhood of Bolougne, the manufacture of sugar from the beet 
has been discontinued, expressly on account of the unsuitableness of 
the soil, which is chalk, with a very shallow depth of mould. Mons. 

C . considers the soil of New Jersey (a sandy soil, not apt to 

burn in the summer) as very likely to be excellent for the purpose ; 
the facility with which the crop might be taken up, and the advan- 
tages of obtaining the roots free from filth or clay, are valuable con- 
siderations ; the latter, will conduce much to their preservation 
during winter. 

2d. The mode of cultivation? 

Ans. Plow the land in winter and lay it dry; obtain a pulverized 
surface before sowing, and drill the seed eight pounds per acre ; hoe 
the land in the intervals of the rows (which might be twenty inches 
apart if the land is not very rich, or twenty-four inches,) — as soon 
as the plants have made tolerable progress ; at the second hoeing, 
thin the plants in the rows to the distance of about fifteen inches, and 
the third hoeing may be performed with a horse-hoe. 

3d. The best kinds of seed 1 

Ans. The white or Silesian, and the rose coloured, are the only 
kinds now sown in a large way ; the yellow is still sown by a few, 
but to no great extent. Other kinds are said, not only to yield no 
sugar, but to be destructive to the process of crystallization, if mixed 



12 

or worked with them. The greatest care is taken to select the best 
roots for the production of seed, both as to their l^inds and perfect 
formation ; the largest roots are not the best for this purpose. 

4th. The best time for sowing the seed 1 

Ans. As early as the season will admit, as the greatest advantage 
is derived from an early crushing, sometimes as much as 2 per cent, 
of sugar, besides the ease with which it is made to crystallize, the 
quality being also superior: the latter part of April, and all May is 
considered the proper season, but this might be extended to the first 
days of June. 

5th. The proper time for taking up the crop 1 

Ans. For reasons just stated, the crop should be taken up as soon 
as the roots have completed their growth ; the months of September 
and October the proper seasons. 

6th. Manner of protecting the crops during winter 1 

Ans. Heat is as injurious to the roots as cold, as it induces fer- 
mentation, which is destructive of saccharine. The best preserved 
roots which I have seen, were deposited in long trenches, formed by 
throwing out the earth to the sides, and forming with it, sloping 
banks 2^ feet in height ; these trenches were ten feet wide, and 
about 100 feet long, in a dry soil, where the roots were packed 
without straw either at the bottom or sides, the tops of the heaps 
conical, and covered with a slight coat of straw, which was thick- 
ened during the severity of winter. But the almost universal prac- 
tice is, to bury them in pits, dug in the fields where the roots are 
grown, 17 feet long, 2u feet deep, and 2 feet broad ; each pit con- 
tains 3000 pounds of roots, is dug and the roots covered for 1 franc* 
per pit. This is by no means a good method ; the throwing out of 
the earth mixes a great quantit}' of the sterile subsoil with the en- 
riched upper stratum, and removing the roots during winter is the 
cause of much injury done to the soil, by the cutting in of wheels in 
wet weather ; it prevents also the proper cultivation of the land, by 
ploughing to lay dry. 

7th. The manufacture of sugar in all its processes 1 

Ans. The manufacture of sugar consists of seven distinct pro- 
cesses. 

1st. Washing or scraping the roots. 

* Twenty cents. 



13 

2d. Rasping or crushing the roots, but not hij cylinders. 

3d. Pressing the pulp by hydraulic presses. 

4th. Deffication. 

5th. Evaporation. 

6th. Clarification. 

7th. Concentration. 

1. — Cleaning the Roofs. 
In many large factories this is done by washing in long wooden 
cylinders, with open sides, which revolve by the power of steam in 
cisterns of water : the roots are thrown in at one end of this cylinder 
and are carried round and ejected at the other by a spiral or Archi- 
medes' screw ; and if the work could be effectually performed by 
these means, it would be a great saving of expense, but the the fact 
is, it is at best a most inefficient mode. If the roots have been 
grown on a stiff soil, quantities of earth will still be found adhering 
to them, maugre all your attempts to free them from it. This will 
do great injury to the teeth of the rasp while crushing, and will, 
I presume, be of no value in the cake as food for sheep or cattle. 
The large roots are often found to be hollow and partially decayed 
at the crown ; this putrid matter being acetous, is peculiarly destruc- 
tive to the yield of saccharine, and no washing will remove it. The 
end of the tap root and the lateral fibres are almost useless to the 
production of sugar — often very injurious ; I therefore prefer to clean 
by scraping with a knife, when the earth and decayed parts are 
easily removed : the cuttings are greedily devoured by cattle and 
hogs, and that portion only of the root is used which is best calcu- 
lated to yield a superior quality of sugar. 

2. — Crushing or rasping the Roots. 
In no manufactory, except where maceration is practised, is this 
process performed by any other means than by the rasp. This is a 
wooden barrel, set transversely with steel saws at half an inch apart. 
It is 13^ inches wide, and 23 inches diameter, and when pro- 
pelled by steam, makes about 900 revolutions in a minute, crushing 
into impalpable pulp, 90 pounds of roots in that space of time. 
Pressing by cylinders has often been tried, but found to be totally 
inapplicable to the purpose. 



14 

3. — Pressing the Pulp. 
The heat engendered by the process of rasping brings on instan- 
taneous fermentation, which is destructive to the yield of sugar: no 
time is therefore lost in submitting the pulp to the action of the 
press, by which the juice is extracted in a surprisingly short space 
of time. In no instance did I witness this operation performed by 
any but hydraulic* pressure, the power of which is astonishingly 
great. The machine for this purpose is very expensive, but when 
obtained, the saving of labour and time is great. The pulp falls 
from the rasp into a square box below, from whence it is taken in a 
deep wooden or copper shovel, and put into a bag which is held open 
for its reception ; it is then placed upon a frame of wicker work, 
standing upon a small hand-barrow resting upon wheels, where it 
is spread evenly in the bag, and the mouth is then turned down to 
prevent the escape of the pulp while under the press ; it is then 
covered by another wicker frame and another bag, until the pile con- 
sists of thirty-five bags and wicker frames. The whole is then 
removed to the press, where a man takes and deposites them on the 
wooden platform, which sets on the bed of the press, and the pres- 
sure is then applied. So soon as the juice is extracted, the pressure 
is taken off, the bags are emptied of the dry cakes, and the press is 
ready for another load. These presses are always worked in pairs, 
so that while one is pressing, the other is being loaded. The juice 
flows from the press into a cistern beneath the floor, from whence it 
is immediately pumped into the defficating pan, which is placed so 
high, that the contents might flow from it by a pipe, into the 
evaporator. 

4. — Dcffication. 
The defficator is a copper pan, into which the juice is pumped, so 
as to fill it within four inches of the top, when heat is applied, either 
by means of steam or fire. As soon as the juice has attained the 
heat of 58° Reaumur (162^° Fahrenheit) lime is added in exact pro- 
portion to the acid contained in it, which is ascertained by chemical 
tests. This lime is prepared by slaking with hot water and mixing, 

* The great variety of power presses to be obtained in this country, at compa- 
ratively small cost, will obviate the necessity of always using- the hydraulic press. — 
Pub. Com. 



15 

so as to be of the consistence of cream, and when it is added, the 
greatest care is taken to mix it most intimately with the juice, by 
stirring with a wooden spatula : after this, it is suffered to rest, and 
the heat is raised to the boiling point, when it is suddenly checked 
by withdrawing the steam or fire; as soon as the juice has become 
perfectly clear, it is run off into the first evaporator, taking care that 
none of the scum, or sediment at the bottom of the pan passes 
with it. The scum and sediment is then collected, put into bags 
and pressed, to obtain all the juice it contains ; after which, the resi- 
duum is thrown to the dunghill, a valuable manure. 

5. — Evaporation. 
The evaporator is a copper pan, into which the clear defficated 
liquor flows, until the pan is about a third part full ; to this, a small 
quantity of animal charcoal is added, and the fire or steam is applied; 
here it is boiled until it marks 21° by the saccharometer, when it is 
passed into a I'eceiver, from whence it flows into the clarifiers for 
purification. During the boiling, if the juice rises in the pan so as 
to threaten to overflow, a small quantity of tallow is added, which 
causes an immediate subsidence, and facilitates evaporation. 

6. — Clarifying. 
The clarifiers are wooden or copper pans, 2 feet 8 inches deep, 
20 inches diameter at top, 11 inches diameter at bottom, each with a 
small brass cock near the bottom. A copper strainer standing on 
three feet and covered with canvass, is placed in the bottom of each 
clarifier, which is then filled with granulated animal charcoal, (about 
100 lbs. in each pan,) and is covered with another copper strainer 
and cloth, and then the sirop is permitted to flow upon it until the 
pan is full. Afl;er it has stood some time, the cock is opened, the 
sirop is permitted to flow slowly into a cistern, and the pans are 
refilled as fast as they empty. From the cistern the sirop is 
pumped into the condenser, for a last evaporation. These clarifiers 
are emptied of their animal carbon twice in the day, and filled with, 
other, fresh burnt from the kilns. It is found that some of the- 
saccharine remains in this carbon, it is therefore put up to receive 
the juice from the defficator as it passes into the first evaporator, by 
which means the saccharine is extracted ; after which, the animal. 



16 

carbon Is turned out to be washed preparatory to another calcina_ 
tion, whereby 'it is rendered fit for farther use, ad-injinitum. 

7. — Concentration. 

The clarified sirop is evaporated in the condenser to 41°, (by 
saccharometer,) at which point it indicates signs of fitness for crystal- 
ization, which may be known by the usual test ; drawing between 
the finger and thumb, when if the thread break and the end draws 
up to the finger in a kind of horny substance, it is enough. — Another 
mode is, to blow through the holes of the skimmer, when if the sirop 
be sufficiently tenacious to form air bubbles and fall to the ground, 
and on bursting leave a white substance, it is immediately removed 
from the fire. 

At the commencement of the crushing season, and when the roots 
are fresh and good, four pounds of lime will be found sufficient for 
the deffication of 8^ hectolitres,* (225 gallons,) but as the season 
advances, more lime will be required, until at length, at the conclu- 
sion of the season, and when vegetation has commenced, as much 
as 7, and even 8 lbs., have been found necessary to effect the pur- 
pose ; in this case there is danger of an exxess of lime, which is 
taken up by means of acid, applied at the time of condensing the 
sirop for the last time. Sulphuric acid, reduced by watej- in the 
proportion of 44 water to 1 of acid, is used for this purpose, the 
exact quantity necessary must be judged of by chemical test ; if 
more is used than is proper to neutralize the lime, tlie refiners of 
the sugar object to purchase, as it subjects them to much inconveni- 
ence, and some loss; practice, however, soon makes perfect this part 
of the business. When the concentration has been carried to the 
crystallizing point, the sirop is poured into large copper pans, which 
are placed in the air, where it remains about two hours, to cool, 
during this time it is stirred occasionally, that the cooling might go 
on regularly ; it is then poured into flat pans made of tinned iron, 2 feet 
3 inches long, 15 inches wide, and 3^ inches deep, and is then left 
to crystallize, in a cool atmosphere, for 12 hours and something 
more. These pans are then removed to the stove, and set on their 
ends that the molasses might drain from them, and in 12 days from 

* The hectolitre is 105 6-10 quarts. 



17 

the making, the sugar is tit for the market. On removing the sugar 
from these pans, about one-tenth of the contents is found at the bot- 
tom edges to contain molasses, and must be separated from the 
cake, this is mixed with the molasses which has drained from the 
pans, is reduced to 17°, (by saccharometer,) with water, evaporated 
to 21°, and is again submitted to the clarifying process ; after which 
it is concentrated to 41°, (by saccharometer,) for the purpose of 
making sugar of second quality, which, if well done, is equal in 
value, for the purpose of refining, to sugar of first quality. When 
this sirop of second quality is sufficiently concentrated for crystal- 
lizing, it is poured into the coolers, and from them removed to cone- 
shaped earthen pans, and placed, first in the cool, and afterwards 
removed to the stove; at the end of about 24 hours the stoppers are 
removed from these pans, and the molasses permitted to flow away, 
and in about six weeks from this time, the sugar from these pans is 
fit for the market. On removing these loaves from the pans, a por- 
tion near the holes will be found to contain a considerable portion of 
molasses mixed with sugar ; these portions are collected and reduced 
by water to 17°, (by saccharometer,) and boiled to 21°, when the 
sirop is passed through the clarifying pans, and concentrated for 
crystallizing, as above. During the boihng to 21°, large quantities 
of scum will arise, which must be carefully removed: this scum is 
to be washed with water, to obtain from it all the saccharine, and 
this water is then used to reduce the impure sugar, from the pans, 
so that nothing be lost. From the molasses of these pans of second 
quality sugar, there may be extracted sugar of third quality, but the 
labour and expense of fuel for evaporation, together with the great 
length of time which it requires to perfect crystallization, sometimes 
a whole year, I am convinced it will be, in this country, far more 
profitable to obtain the result in the shape of beef and mutton, than 
in sugar. 

8th. Yield of sugar per acre and cost of manufacture, independent 
of the expense of cultivating the crop 1 

Ans. Much contrariety of opinion exists upon this subject. Un- 
der favourable circumstances, I have reason to know that 85 per 
cent, of sugar has been obtained. This consists of 1st, 2d, and 3d 
qualities, and leaves only the molasses, which cannot be crystallized 

3 



18 

by any process now known. This is the maximum ; the minimum 
may by known by examining the account published in an appeal 
against the proposed tax on indigenous sugar in France, where 4 
per cent, is assumed as the minimum ; at a yield of 5 per cent., a 
profit is there shown to arise from the fabrication, taking the 1st and 
2d qualities sugars only into account ; to this then must be added 
the value of the 3d quality sugar, the molasses, the cake for feeding 
cattle and sheep, and the value of the manure arising therefrom. 
Say only then, that all above the yield of 5 per cent, is profit in the 
shape of sugar, to which add as above, and a judgment may easily 
be formed. I know that the yield of this unproductive season (in 
consequence of the severity of the winter) has been 7 and 7| per 
cent, of sugar, where the processes have been conducted by means 
of steam to the extent of, perhaps 120 horses power; but then it is 
but fair to admit that, with such facilities, the whole of the saccha- 
rine has been extracted, still it has been done. Taking, therefore, 
6 per cent, as the medium, the yield per acre might thus be stated, 
the average crop of roots being 40,000 pounds per acre. 

Sugar, 1st and 2d quality, 2400 lbs. 

Molasses, 2 per cent. 800 lbs. 

Cakes, 15 do. 6000 lbs. 



9200 lbs. per acre. 

In the estimate of the cost of the manufacture of sugar, the profit 
upon the beet culture must be made to appear, as also, the profit 
arising from the feeding of cattle and sheep, with the molasses and 
cakes, and the value of the manure. To this add the profit arising 
from the preparation of animal carbon, which every extensive manu- 
facturer prepares for his own use, and the value of the seed, which 
all such are enabled to send to market, and I estimate the cost of 
sugar to the manufacturer at 4 4-7 sous (4| cents) per pound. Pro- 
fessor Schubarth was convinced of the correctness of this estimate, 
and formed his data upon it. 

9th. Mode of expending the refuse of the sugar house for the fat- 
tening of cattle 1 



19 

Ans. The cakes are preserved in magazines sunk in the ground, 
where they are beaten hard and left to ferment. At the end of six 
or nine months they are cut out in a vinous state and given to cattle 
and sheep ; excellent for the purpose. A sheep will eat 5 pounds of 
this food mixed with a small quantity of oil cake, say about 2 pounds 
for 10 sheep a day. Cattle, while fatting, eat 75 pounds of beet 
cake and 6 pounds of oil cake per day. The molasses is mixed 
with water and poured upon chopped straw in cisterns, where it 
remains for 24 hours, when it is given to horses, cattle, and sheep, 
who devour it voraciously. The sheep pens are strewed with lime 
instead of straw, a most excellent mode, as it saves straw which 
might be cut into chaff, conduces to the health of sheep, as well as 
to their cleanliness. The lime prevents and cures the foot-rot, and 
is the means of raising a large quantity of most valuable compost, 
which is applied as a spring dressing to young clovers ; the effect 
is instantaneous. Sheep fatten in 2 months, or 60 days. The 
cakes from 100 pounds of beet, with a mixture of molasses and 
straw, sufficient food for three sheep per day. From 2000 pounds 
of beet, food for 60 sheep for 1 day ; from 1 acre of beet, therefore, 
food for 60 sheep for 20 days ; the cakes from 3 acres of beet, with 
an allowance of straw and molasses, and the above quantity of oil 
cake, sufficient to fatten 60 sheep for the market. 

10th. What kind of cattle, and at what age are they preferred, so 
as to give the greatest profit for fattening, and the usual time of 
feeding. 

Ans. Oxen are not put to fatten until five years old, they are 
worked on the farms until that age. Cows fatten well, and all 
descriptions of cattle are fed in as short a time as upon other cus- 
tomary food. 

1 1th. To examine and make drawings of buildings, &c. 

Ans. This I have done, and am prepared to superintend the con- 
struction of such as might be required. 

12th. To procure a quantity of the best beet seed for immediate 
sowing, and samples of sugar, &c. 

Ans. The sugar which was forwarded, together with the beet 
seed, was obtained from a refinery at Paris. The samples of unre- 
fined sugar which were delivered, are bona Jidc from the beet, and 



20 

were procured from the different manufactories wliicli I have visited, 
and show the various qualities and sorts distinctly. 

13th. What crop precedes the beet, and what is the estimated 
quantity ] 

Ans. In many places beet is grown every second year, a crop of 
grain intervening; in some places every year in succession; a field 
in the neighbourhood of Arras, has borne beet, either as a crop for 
crushing or for seed, for the last 15 years. It is sown after every 
crop, but does best perhaps, after clover, the land ploughed in winter 
and got ready for an early spring sowing. Oats often precede the 
beet, but in this case it is usiuil to manure for the beet, the manure 
buried in drills after the English method. (See answer to ques- 
tion 17.) 

14th. What crop succeeds it, &c. ? 

Ans. Too often wheat, a bad practice. The land should be laid 
dry for the winter and sown with a spring crop, clover always 
accompanying it. Such crops excellent; wheat light and small 
eared, apt to blight, quantity often not more than 18 or 20 bushels 
per acre. 

15th. Is the ci-op ever manured fori 

Ans. Yes, after oats, for it is found that manure is not, of neces- 
sity injurious to the crop of sugar, as it was once thought to be. 

16th. What kind of manure is used, and what effect are different 
manures supposed to have (if different are used) on the saccharine 1 

Ans. An abundant supply is always found in the farm yard, for 
as the beet is sown as a fallow crop, generally without dung, it 
throws the usual time for manuring one year back, an incalculable 
assistance to the dung heap. The refuse of the sugar house is 
reserved as a top dressing to the clovers ; bones are too valuable to 
be used as manure, as they are required for clarifying the sugar : 
lime not in use, except for strewing the floors of the sheep sheds, 
where it becomes one of the richest and most valuable manures 
known. 

Mem. Sheep confined to sheds and bedded with straw, soon con- 
tract the disease called the foot-rot, which is occasioned by the heat 
and moisture arising fi'om filth, which is prevented by the use 
of lime. 



21 

17th. What is the weight of the average crop of beet and grami 
Ans, Under favourable circumstances and seasons, beet 40,000 
pounds per acre, oats and barley 35 to 40 bushels, wheat 25 to 30 
or 33 bushels per acre. 

18th. Are crops most productive of saccharine on sandy soil, or 
loam? 

Ans. Light soils are preferred, if they are not of a burning nature. 
Moisture is necessary to the growth of the beet, but if they are 
raised on land with a wet subsoil, they will rot in the winter, al- 
though they might appear, at the time of taking up, to be perfectly 
sound. Deep soils produce large crops, but they are not valued on 
that account, the small roots often producing more sugar than large 
ones. No judgment can be formed but by experiment. The land 
about Douay is lighter than at Arras. In that part of the country, 
52,000 pounds per acre of beet is not considered more than an ave- 
rage crop. 

19th. What is the rotation of crops 1 

Ans. Beet, beet, beet. Beet, wheat, beet. Oats, beet, barley with 
seeds. 

20th. What is the price of the best beef, fed from the beet of a 
sugar house, when compared with beef otherwise fed? 

Ans. Equal, as cattle are never finished with beet cakes alone, 
an allowance of oil cake does the business quicker. 

2 1 St. How does the use of the refuse of the sugar house affect the 
produce of the dairy 1 

Ans. Good for all kinds of cattle. Cows which give milk, must 
not be fed with fermented cakes, as they communicate an unpleasant 
flavour to the butter. Molasses when mixed with water and 
poured on cut straw or hay, and left for 24 hours, is excellent for the 
purpose. 

22d. What are the expenses of conducting a beet sugar manufac- 
tory, and what the estimated profits 1 

Ans. The raising of the beet and the manufacturing of the sugar, 
should always accompany each other, and an estimate made of both 
united, would show the result. If the beet is grown, and sold to 
the sugar maker, the land is robbed of the manure arising from the 
expenditure of the crop, and although great profits might arise at 
first from this system, it must in the end prove ruinous : and if the 



22 

sugar maker has to purchase his roots for crushing, he often meets 
with those which yield but little sugar ; he sells the cakes and 
molasses to those who get his profit upon feeding, and his manure, 
from the sugar house, for less than a quarter part of its value. I 
have scarcely met with any one who is contented with his share, if 
divided, although there are many who are compelled so to act ; the 
perfection of the beet root culture in France is, when it is joined to 
the making of sugar. 

In the town of Arras, a person has established a sugar house 
upon a very economical scale, performing much of the labour and 
superintendence in person, he erected most of the machinery with 
his own hands, and is a very intelligent man. He rents land, pro- 
perly prepared, of the farmers in the neighbourhood, for the growth 
of his crops of beet, at the charge of from 200 to 230 francs per 
acre ; he has no means of feeding sheep with the cakes, and the 
molasses and manure he sells to those who are making a profit from 
this branch of his business ; it must be a good trade which could 
bear such weeding; and yet hemade 110,000 pounds of sugar last 
season. 

Cost of establishing his Sugar House. 
Horse wheel, rasp and requisite machinery 2.200 francs. 

2 Hydraulic presses, pumps, &c. complete 4.000 

2 Defficating pans, 4 feet 4 inches long, 3 feet 5 inches 

wide, 16 1-2 inches deep 2,400 

2 Concentrating pans, 4 feet 7 inches diameter, 16 

inches deep 900 

Estimated cost of the establishment with necessary utensils, 
pumps, cisterns, clarifiers, clais, bags, pots, pans, skimmers, &c. 
about 26,000 francs, ($5,200.) This apparatus, sufficient to employ 
30 men and women by day only ; the preparation of sugar for the 
season, say from the 10th September to the 15th April, about 
110,000 pounds. 

At this establishment, no part of the processes are conducted by 
means of steam, the expenses are therefore heavy ; to arrive at the 
real cost of manufacturing sugar here, would be to a stranger, dif- 
ficult, for obvious reasons ; look to question 8. 

Price of new copper utensils in France, 38 cents per pound. 



23 

23d. Rent of land and price of labour 1 

Ans. Land may be rented in the country at 40 francs per acre, 
($8) but all such is not fit for the growth of beet ; labourers receive 
only 15 cents per day, but their work is proportionably slowly 
performed. 

24th. How much land does the drill sow per day 1 
Ans. In the spring, and at the season when great exertion is ne- 
cessary, a man takes a horse and commences sowing at 4 o'clock 
in the morning, continuing untilS ; he is then relieved by a second 
man and horse, who sow until 12, when the first man and horse 
return, and take his place until 4 o'clock, at which time the second 
man and horse come on, and continue until 8 in the evening. In 
these 16 hours, 19 French half hectares* are sown, harrowed, and 
rolled by two men and two horses ; but it is usual at these busy 
seasons, to allow a boy to drive, who might ride the horse and 
guide at the same time. This drill sows with equal regularity all 
kinds of seed, from the poppy to the horse bean. 

25th. Estimate of the cost of raising a crop of beet? 
Ans. M. Crespel's Bailiff's account of the expense is as follows 
per acre, or half hectare. 

Rent 40 francs, 2 ploughings 16 francs, taxes 6 francs, 62 

Harrowing 2 francs, rolling 1 frank, drilling i franc, 3.10 

3 hoeings 12 francs, taking up and topping 14 francs, seed 

8 francs, 34 

Digging pits, burying roots, and filling 10 



Francs 109.10 



Estimate from the " Question Impot." 

Rent of land 36 francs, taxes 6 francs, 42 

Ploughing, &c. 15 francs, seed 8 francs, and sowing ,10Jj^ 23.10 

Weeding 11 francs, taking up, &c. 21 francs, 32 

Francs 97.10 
* Half hectare 5,980 square yards, or about 1 1-3 acres. 



24 

Monsieur H. Billet's estimate. 

Rent of land, prepared by the owner 200 or 230 francs. 

Cleaning crop 4 times 14 

Taking up and topping tlie roots 14 

Burying tlie roots 10 francs, seed 8 francs 18 

Francs 246 



Mem. The succeeding crop should be debited with a portion of 
the expense of hoeing, but this is lost to those who rent land of the 
farmer ; he it is who reaps the advantage. 

Monsieur Gvffroy's estimate. 
Owns land, but hires to plough, clean the crop, take up and bury 
in pits, &c. 

Rent and taxes per acre 46 francs. 

Ploughing, &c. 25 

Weeding crop 12 francs, seed 8 francs, 20 

Taking up, burying, &c. 19 



Francs 110^ 



Recapitulation. 
Monsieur Crespel has land, and farms by means of his own. 
Monsieur Billet has no land, hires land and labour. 
Monsieur Guffroy has land, but hires labour. 
Estimate from the " Question Impot." 

From these four distinct sources of information, a pretty correct 
estimate of the expense of cultivation may be drawn. 
Value of an average crop of beet, 40,000 lbs. at 1 

fr. per 100 lbs. - - - - 400 fr. 

Cost of raising the crop, - - - 110 

Profit - 290 

* See Monsieur C.'s Bailiff's account. 



25 

The value of the leaves and cuttings of the roots, at the time of 
taking up the crop, about 1 fr. per acre ; say then, the profit per 
acre is 300 fr. on cultivation alone. 

26th. To ascertain the cost of machinery or apparatus used in 
the culture of the beet and the manufacture of sugar. 

An3. The cost of Mons. B.'s machinery and apparatus may b>e 
seen under the 22d question, but much of this was erected under his 
immediate inspection, and by his own hands : he intends to add to it 
a generator of 12 or 14 horse power, by which lie will be enabled to 
perform the last operation, or concentration, by means of steam ; 
this will not only save time, but expense ; the sugar will be of 
better quality, and command a higher price in the market : with this 
force of steam he may possibly be able to defficate his juice, as well 
as to concentrate his sirop, which will be a great advantage. He 
calculates that this addition to his machinery might be made for 
about 8000 francs. The whole of the machinery and apparatus be- 
longing to Mons. Lecerf at Onain, near Valenciennes, did not cost 
the proprietor more, perhaps, than 500 francs ! His rasp, the only 
tolerable instrument he was possessed of, might have been worth 
180 of this sum ; all his other instruments were old and very mean, 
and yet he made good sugar, although it could not be to much 
profit. 

A manufactory near A. is being fitted up with machinery, upon a 
rather small scale, where all the processes, except deification and 
concentration, will be performed over naked fires, without the aid of 
steam. The rasps will be propelled by 6 oxen, a power sufficient 
to drive 2 rasps, and work the hydraulic presses, crushing about 
60,000 lbs. of roots in 24 hours. By these arrangements, the pro- 
prietor expects to save, in the cost of investment, about one-half 
the expense of a large steam apparatus. 

At a large sugar-work near A., established at an expense of about 
i6 12,000 stg. has been introduced the new mode of working upon the 
principle of maceration, which has proved a failure; here, by means 
of all this machinery, they prepared but 200,000 lbs, of sugar 
the last season. The refining business attached to this establish- 
ment has been relinquished, in consequence of its having been found 
to be perfectly incompatible with the making of sugar : and this has 
been the case with many other estabhshments in that part of the 
country. 

4 



26 

At Moiis. Pera's mill, in A., for making Poppy Oil, the best by far 
in that Oil District, the machinery is driven by a steam engine of 9 
horse power ; tlie whole most perfect. The cost of the apparatus 
and building was ^64,000 sterling. 

The drill, made by Mons. C, is universally approved of; it has ten 
wheels, forming two sets, so that when beet-seed is drilled, at double 
distance between the rows, the set of three wheels is used, which 
operate as rollers upon the seed dropt from the box; but when the 
drill is set for 5 rows, as for wheat, the set of 5 wheels is used, 
performing in the same manner : the price complete 400 francs. 

A barrow-hoe has been invented for the purpose of cleaning be- 
tween the rows of plants, it is simple and of easy construction, and 
is used by pushing forward ; a man hoes with it about an acre and 
a half a day, the work not laborious, if the land has been well cul- 
tivated. Another hoe, on a different construction, and of greater 
power, is used by the same means ; but to this might be attached a 
small horse, which would render it a most convenient and effective 
instrument, particularly well adapted to the purpose of row-culture ; 
its construction cheap and simple. 

The French hand-hoe is superior to all others ; it is in general use 
for almost all purposes ; having a long and crooked neck, the weeds 
rise and pass over, forming no impediment to its progress ; only re- 
quires to be known to be approved. Price 38 cents each. 

The spade in general use has a long straight handle, the steel part 
hollowed like the clay-spades of London, proper for taking up beet- 
roots, which are never plowed up, lest they should be wounded by 
the share ; an injury of this nature is ruinous to the yield of sugar, 
as it brings on fermentation of the acetous kind. This spade is par- 
ticularly useful in clay soils, as it is worked with ease, by reason of 
its peculiar form and straight handle. 

AH kinds of machinery of magnitude are more expensive in France 
than in England ; a high duty on the materials of which they are 
constructed, is the cause. 

Labour is much cheaper in France than in America ; but perhaps 
this is no advantage in a national point of view ; the workmen being 
unable, from the low rate of wages they receive, to obtain little be- 
sides bread to eat, and but little clothing of any kind, are not equal 
to the labour performed by those who are better fed ; but they seem 
contented with their lot, and have never known better fare. 



27 



COPY OF AN AGREEMENT, 



Entered into, for the introduction into this country, of such informa- 
tion as can be obtained in Europe, relative to the manufacture of 
Sugar from the Beet. 



Philadelphia, February 6, 1836. 

The following Articles of agreement are this day entered into 
between James Ronaldson, John Vaughan, and Jacob Snider, jr. of 
Philadelphia, for themselves and others on the one part, and James 
Pedder, of Philadelphia, on the other part. The aforesaid parties 
hereby binding themselves, their heirs, executors, «&c. for the faith- 
ful performance of their several parts of this agreement, the condi- 
tions of which are as follows : — viz. James Pedder is to embark for 
England and France, (and Belgium if requisite) as soon after the 
execution of these articles as may be, not delaying the same beyond 
the 20th inst., unless prevented by sickness or other unforeseen 
circumstances ; and on his arrival in Europe, to proceed without 
unnecessary delay to procure as full and satisfactory answers as he 
can, to the following inquiries, and all other information that is to be 
obtained relative to the culture or application of the vegetable known 
in France as the Sugar Beet; the process or processes of manufac- 
turing Sugar from the same, and the process or processes of evapo- 
ration, crystallization and refining of Sugar manufactured from the 
Beet ; and all and every other information in any wise pertaining to 
the aforesaid vegetable. 

1st. The quality of the land best suited to the growth of the Beet. 

2d. The mode of cultivation. 

3d. The best kind of seed. 

4th. The time of sowing the seed. 

5th. The proper time for taking up the crop. 

6th. The manner of housing it, &c, 

7th. The manufacture of the Sugar in all its processes. 



28 

8th. The yield per acre, its costs, &c., independent of the expense 
of the culture of the Beet. 

9th. The mode of expending the refuse of the Sugar-house for the 
fattening of cattle. 

10. What kind of cattle, and at what age are they preferred, so 
as to give the greatest profit for fattening ; and the usual time of 
feeding. 

11th. To examine, and to make drawings of the necessary build- 
ings and apparatus relating to the manufacture of the Sugar, and 
of any improved implements which may be in use, either for the 
cultivation of the crop or the manufacture of Sugar, and to ascer- 
tain the cost of the same. 

12. To procure a quantity of the best Beet seed for immediate 
sowing, as also, a quantity of such variety as can be had of the 
Sugar manufactured from the Beet, and transmit the same to this 
country as soon after his arrival in France as is practicable. 

13th. What crop precedes the Beet, and what is the estimated 
quantity 1 

14th. What crop succeeds it, &;c. 1 
15th. Is the crop manured for, and how? 

16th. What kind of manure is used, and what effect are different 
manures supposed to have (if different are used) on the saccha- 
rine? 

17th. What is the weight of the average crop of Beet and Grain? 
18th. Are crops most productive of saccharine on sandy soil or 
loam? 

19th. What is the rotation of crops? 

20th. What is the price of the best beef fed from the Beet, or 
Sugar-house, when compared with beef otherwise fed ? 

21st. How does the use of the refuse of the Sugar-house affect the 
produce of the dairy ? 

22d. What are the expenses of conducting a Beet Sugar manu- 
factory, and what are the estimated profits ? 

23d. To ascertain the cost in Europe of an}'- machinery or appa- 
ratus used in the culture of the Beet or manufacture of the Sugar. 

For and in consideration of the faithful performance of the fore- 
going duties, the first named parties to this agreement, James 
Ronaldson, John Vaughan, and Jacob Snider, jr., for themselves 



29 

and others as aforesaid, heieby agree to pay all and every necessary 
expense which the said James Pedder may be put to, in the prosecu- 
tion of his journey for obtaining the answers and information on 
the above named subjects and inquiries, and also to pay him as a 
remuneration for his services, the sum of three hundred dollars, 
under his order in such manner as he may direct. Provided always, 
That should the said James Pedder remain in Europe longer than is 
deemed requisite by the said James Ronaldson, John Vaughan and 
Jacob Snider, jr., for the purposes mentioned herein, that the said 
James Pedder shall have no claim on the said James Ronaldson, 
John Vaughan and Jacob Snider, jr. for any sum of money to be 
paid for his expenses of said journey, beyond the sum of six hundred 
dollars, exclusive of the aforenamed sum of three hundred dollars to 
be paid him for his services. 

hi Witness whereof, the several parties have hereunto set their 
hands and seals, the date before written. 

JAMES PEDDER. L. S. JAMES RONALDSON. L. S. 

JOHN VAUGHAN. L. S. 

JACOB SNIDER, Jr. L. S. 

For themselves and others, contributors 
to the expenses of the undertaking. 

Signed, sealed and delivered "] 

in the presence of \ 

Chas. O'Hara, Joseph Mogridge, ( 

Geo. K. Tryon. J 



30 



MISCELLANEOU>S REMARKS AND MEMORANDA. 

March 10, 1836. — Visited sugar house at Brasville; fifty persons 
employed — crushing mill propelled by wheel, in which five oxen and 
a boy with a whip were incessantly engaged : roots of beet well 
kept through this unprecedentally severe winter; cleaned by scraping, 
not washing. Oxen of fifty score fatting upon the cakes of the beet, 
mixed with a little oil cake — fine breed of cattle. About 300 sheep 
of the merino breed confined to open sheds, fatting upon cake, in 
excellent condition : sheds bedded with straw, very wet and filthy. 
Troughs for feeding sheep placed on both sides the sheds, and a small 
rack over, for hay, when requisite; both cattle and sheep fed with cake 
as it conies from the press. No land for growing beet attached to 
this manufactory ; purchased of the neighbouring farmers at 10 francs 
per lOOOlbs. — well supplied; situated on the banks of a canal; 
40 barges loaded with beets have been seen at one time, waiting for 
their turn to unload. Brown sugar only made at these works : at 
Lisle is a refinery for beet sugar. 

Extract from French Paper. — " The exertions making in France 
and throughout Germany to simplify the process of preparing sugar 
from the beet, are numerous and increasing. At the recent meeting 
of German naturalists at Bonn, the section of agriculture and rural 
economy was almost entirely occupied with papers and discussions 
on the subject." 

March 17. — A person at B went there so poor as not to be 

able to purchase milk for his family ; he commenced the beet sugar 
business, and is now worth £, 6000 sterling a year. 

March 22. — Accompanied Mons. F. to examine the large sugar 

works at T , conducted on the principle of maceration by hot 

water; the pulp, or cake, wheeled away to the dunghill, not fit food for 
cattle: horses, cattle, sheep and pigs feeding on cakes at a neighbour- 
ing manufactory, the produce of the dry pressure, which many have 
re-adopted. Chaff cut here for farm horses, one sheaf wheat straw, 
one of tare and oat hay, one of rye in the straw, and one of hay : 
this, mixed with molasses and water. The cakes, for pigs, must be 
boiled. 



31 

March 24. — Introduced to Mons. C. Here I met Professor S. 
and his draughtsman, sent out by the Prussian government ; a 
remarkable circumstance, as it was in Prussia that sugar-making 
from beet was first practised : the professor is quite satisfied with 
what he has witnessed. Works here conducted by a power of 
steam of 120 horses ! In Siberia the beet produces 12 per cent, of 
saccharine ! — so informed by Professor S. 

March 25. — These are the advantages of crushing early in the 
season : four pounds of lime sufficient for defficating a quantity of 
juice, which, at the end of the season, would require eight or even 
ten pounds. Saccharine has decreased in proportion to the increased 
quantity of lime required : crystallization now easily performed ; 
sugar of superior quality. 

March 26. — Two hundred and fifty bushels of coal burnt in 
twenty-four hours. Seventy-four men and women employed during 
the day — 64 during the night: 2,003,0001bs. sugar manufactured last 
year — expects to make .3,000,000 lbs. next year; "cost to manu- 
facture 4^ sous per pound : this covers every expense — buildings, 
machinery, repairs, fuel, interest of capital invested, &c." — Profes- 
sor S.'s Communication. 

March 27. — Visited, in company with the professor and others, 

the fabric at B , constructed on the new principle of evaporation 

by inclined plane : the machine about seven feet long, two feet three 
inches wide, with edges turned up about three inches ; the bottom 
formed of copper and ribbed, like the washing boards of America, 
made so to continue the juice longer in the times of passing. The 
defficated juice was made to flow over this unequal surface, forming 
an inclined plane, the elevation or depression of which was regu- 
lated by means of wedges. The specific gravity of the juice, when 
let on, was 4^^ by saccharometer, and in one minute, the time which 
it was in passing, it tested 35° ! The consequence was, a part of it 
had grown so glutinous that it adhered to the bottom of the machine, 
and would not flow ; the amount of juice was therefore increased, 
with the extremest care, but in consequence of having to make its 
way over that portion which had become fixed, it came off so low as 
15°, 12°, 9°, and even 6° ! without the workmen having the power 
to regulate it; on some parts of the incline, the juice was burning, 
while other parts were sending it down scarcely at all evaporated ; 



32 

thus requiring the constant application of a scraper, to keep it regu- 
larly spread during its descent, and, but for the constant application 
of butter, also, it would not have been possible to make it flow at 
all — a total failure — although the inventor has patented it, and 
charges 1000 francs for an incline, and 1000 francs more for the 
liberty of using it. On leaving this work I said to Professor S. 
'■'■to be?'''' he replied, '■'■not to 6e." 

March 29. — At Valenciennes, saw Mr. T.'s manufactory — he is a 
farmer, brewer, wine-merchant, distiller and sugar-maker ; has the 
character of being an excellent manager in all : employs one rasp and 
three hydraulic presses ; cleans his roots by scraping, crushes 
50,000 lbs. in 24 hours, and employs 50 work people. At the con- 
clusion of the day's work, and before the people come on for the 
night, every part of the apparatus is cleaned and sprinkled with lime 
water — an excellent practice, stops fermentation. Purchases roots 
at 10 francs per 1000 lbs. and sells the cakes for 5 cents per basket, 
about half a bushel ; price of first quality sugar 68 francs per 100 
lbs. ; smiles at the idea of running the beet juice into refined sugar 
by first and single process, or making sugar without molasses. 
Introduced to Monsieur Charpentier, professor of chemistry, who 
assures me these things have never been done ; considers the pre- 
sent mode of working all sufficient ; land lately worth 500 francs 
will now bring 1200 francs. Visited Monsieur B.'s refinery for beet 
sugar ; pipes for conveying sirops, pumps, &c. made of zinc, eva- 
porates by steam, and prepares 2 millions of pounds annually. Three 
years ago, 13 beet sugar manufactories near Valenciennes, now there 
are 64, and many others erecting. 

March 30. — At Famars, Monsieur B.'s manufactory ; no part of 
the processes conducted by steam. His defficators are hung like 
scales, one of which is over the fire, while the other is being filled 
with juice from the press, preparatory to deffication ; when the first 
comes to the boil, it is turned off the fire, the very act of which 
brings the other on; evaporates to 15° only, the first time, and 
passes through animal carbon ; then evaporates to 27° and clarifies 
again, and then condenses to 44°. To wash sugar in pans, uses 
white sirop at 33° ; if higher specific gravity it would not flow, if 
lower, it would carry with it a portion of sugar ; repeats the washing 
three times to procure while sugar, about a pint and a half of sirop 



33 

sufficient to wash a large pan of sugar each time. The rasp makes 
700 revolutions in a minute, is driven by oxen, six of which do this 
and work the hydraulic pumps ; crushes 54,000 lbs. of roots in 24 
hours; 100 lbs. of beets will give 6 lbs. white sugar of first quality, 
and 4 lbs. sirop and molasses ; thinks the manufacturing of sugar 
only in its infancy, does not consider six months sufficient time for a 
person to acquire the necessary information. Bones which lately 
sold at 2 francs, now worth 8 ; revives his carbon ad injinilum. 

March 29. — Dined at Monsieur C.'s 5 Prussians and Germans in 
company. A Monsieur J. from Potsdam, a sugar refiner, on his tour 
thro ]gh France and England for experience in his business ; is satis- 
fied of the impossibility of refining from the juice by first process ; 
was here 6 months last year, to learn of Mr. C. the art of sugar 
making, returned, and established his son, who made 70,000 lbs. the 
first winter. Mutton on the table fed with beet cakes ; all kinds of 
sweet cakes and confectionary in every variety of shape, prepared 
with beet sugar. Received most kindly by Monsieur C. who ex- 
pressed a desire to forward our views in every way in his power, 
offering to instruct me in the business of sugar making as practised 
at his manufactory. 

March 30th. — At Mons. H.'s manufactory — one of the noblest I 
have seen ; crushes 75,000 lbs. of roots in 24 hours, steam-engine 
10-horse power ; steam for evaporation 80-horse power; makes no 
white sugar ; mixes first and second quality, and sells to refiners at 
75 francs per 100 lbs. Does not require acid in any of his operations, 
prefers to pass the sirop a third time through the clarifier ; cleans roots 
by scraping in preference to washing : defficates at 74°* R. Saw 30 
oxen fatting upon refuse from sugar-house, the dairy cows feeding on 
the same ; sheep fed on the farm on cake, a breeding flock. 50 plough- 
horses in one stable, 7 saddle and carriage-horses in another, 5 three 
year old colts for saddle, and 4 one year old, all feeding on wheat 
straw, molasses, and a little hay : Mons. H. finds that oxen of five 

years old fatten quickly, better than at a younger age. At A , 

a manufacturer of sugar assured me he lost 10,000 francs by the 
macerating process this season ; it brings on fermentation, which is 
destructive of saccharme : the same person informed me that the 

* 74° Reaunier, 198^^ Farenheit. 



34 

inventor of the inclined plane had lost 30,000 francs by its adop- 
tion. 

April 2d. — At A . Mons. B.'s manufactory; sells his first 

and second quality sugar mixed, as cane-sugar ; recalcines his ani- 
mal carbon ; his waste of this article has been but one-fourth of the 
quantity he purchased at the commencement of the season of crush- 
ing; it requires 3 lbs. of bones to make 1 lb. of prepared carbon, 
present price 16 francs per 100 lbs. Works his rasp for crushing 
by horses in a wheel, feeds them on beet-cakes, and sells them in the 
spring for more than he gave for them. 

April 6th. — At the first manufacture of sugar in France, the crys- 
tallizing point was considered to be 32°, it then required many 
months to perfect it; now, twelve days are sufficient, as concentra- 
tion is carried to 44°. The American pump is in use at the sugar- 
houses, and universally approved. 

April 1th. — 100 lbs. of beet-root contain 85 per cent, of juice. 
Specific gravity this day 65°, requires 6 lbs. of lime to defficate ;* 
after this operation, 11°; after clarification, and when pumped into 
condenser, 23°. Size of defficating-pans, 4 ft. 9 inches diameter, 
2 ft. 6 inches in depth, with a concave bottom; contain 225 gallons. 

April Sth. — An experiment was made this day ; the molasses 
was mixed with fresh sirop from the defficating-pan, as a person 
had said this would induce the molasses to crystallize — it would do 
no such thing. 

April 2Sth. — Extract from a French paper. " The people about 
Berlin are gone beet sugar mad : the farmers are giving up the cul- 
tivation of grain, and are turning all their lands to the growth of 
sugar beet." This is in consequence of the report of Professor Shu- 
barth on his return to Berlin, on the present state of the beet-sugar 
manufacture in France. 

May 3d. — Beet-seed sowing not yet generally commenced ; the 
season so wet and cold : no manure allowed for this crop, unless 
the land is exhausted by previous cropping ; it is then sometimes 
dressed with pulverized oil cakes, 400 cakes per acre, at 10 francs, 
or $2 per 100. 

May 4th. — Mr. R.'s account of the yield of 100 lbs. of beet-roots ; 
4 lbs. of first quality sugar, 2 lbs. of second quality, 1 lb. of third 

* Deffication — adding of lime to the juice to destroy acid. 



35 

quality, 2 lbs. of molasses. The expense of extracting the one 
pound of sugar of third quality, great ; it would, therefore be more 
profitable to give it, with the molasses, to cattle and sheep. 

May 6th. — Visited a large manufactory in the neighbourhood of 
A., the working-horses on the farm fed with cut chaff, soaked in 
molasses and water, and oats ; the working-oxen fed in the same 
way. Dairy-cows in excellent condition, fed with molasses and 
straw and beet-cakes. 

Alay 9th. — Mem. — Lime is used in deffication, to neutralize the 
acid of the juice, and the use of acid in condensation is, to correct 
the lime, which might be in excess. 

May \4th — Sirop, for clearing, or washing sugar in pots, may 
be made, by reducing dry brown sugar with water to 21°, and cla- 
rifying it : then raise it to 33° while boiling, which will be 36 or 37 
when cold ; about a pint and half to be poured through flannel on the 
top of each pan, and suffered to flow out at bottom ; one, two, or 
three washings to be given, as required. 

May IGth. — At A. Mons. C. preparing sugar of third quality — 
he considers that, with less power than that which he has, it would 
be more profitable to give the molasses from second quality sugar to 
fatten cattle and sheep, than to extract third quality sugar from it : 
of this I too am satisfied, and prefer, therefore, to debit the cattle 
and sheep with third quality sugar in shape of molasses, and receive 
payment in shape of beef and mutton. Mem. It is a good practice 
to allow all animals, while confined to the house, plenty of salt. 

May 18/A. — At Mons. C.'s animal carbon works : all hands busy 
in reviving the old black of this season's working, (the crushing 
season ended on 27th April,) easily performed in a kiln built for the 
purpose : exposed to the fire 24 hours, and all is revived. The bot- 
tom pans, those exposed to the greatest heat, are filled with fresh 
bones, all the others have fresh bones at bottom, and a few mixed 
with the old black, as the pots are filled ; the pots are then set one 
on another, four in height, and well luted with fire-clay, to prevent 
the escape of ammonia : the ammonia contained in the fresh bones 
is taken up by the old black, by which it is rendered equal to newly 
prepared carbon. Three times during the season, the old black is 
washed with muiiatic acid, in the proportion of 1 to 100 of black in 
measure, by which it is cleared more effectually. Iron pots prefer- 



3f» 

gfble to those of earth, for this purpose ; bones that have not been 
boiled, more valuable on that account. 

May 18(h. — The beet-growers admit that they make a profit of 
300 francs per acre, if the crop is sold for 10 francs per 1000 lbs. The 
sugar manufacturers confess that a yield of 5 per cent, of sugar of 
first and second quality, gives them a certain degree of profit, yet 
not large. If a man grows 400 acres of beet, his profit upon his 
crop will be 120,000 francs, and if the yield of sugar be 6, 6^, or 7 
per cent., the profit must be very ample upon the whole. Mem. In 
the estimate of profit upon the sugar business is included the profits 
upon culture, sugar-making, cattle-feeding, and value of manure. 

May 19/A. — At Mons. C.'s farm. Saw a field which had borne 
beet, either for seed or crushing, 15 years in succession, preparing 
for another crop: yield of seed per acre on an average, 1400 lbs. 
price at present, 20 cents per pound ; last year it was 75 cents per 
pound, but if the tax be laid upon sugar extracted from the beet, it 
will not be worth more than 8 cents, as so many of the smaller 
manufacturers will be compelled to relinquish the business. At 
Quedlinburg in Germany, seed has risen to five times its customary 
price. 

May 20th. — At Mons. P.'s farm, drilling beet in a field of 200 
acres, in excellent order, a clover-lay, ploughed up before winter. 
The cultivation of the sugar beet, independent of the manufacture 
of sugar, is, perhaps, one of the most profitable concerns a man can 
be engaged in ; for the feeding of sheep on a large scale, nothing 
could be more convenient and agreeable ; confined in sheds during 
the winter, one man could attend to a great number. The magazine 
of roots might be placed near the sheds, and be easily protected from 
the severity of the winter ; the roots might be given to the sheep 
without cutting or any previous preparation; shearing might be com- 
menced as early as April, and the wool turned to account : early 
Iambs could be reared to great profit, and the manure arising from 
such an establishment, would be invaluable as a top dressing to 
clover, part of which crop could be cut into chaff", with which the 
sheep might be fed in troughs, to great advantage. Saw again the 
sheep-pens of Mons. C, the mode of strewing the floors with lime, 
admirable management ; sheep clean and healthy. 

May 21. — At Valenciennes and neighbourhood. Mons. H. em- 



37 

ploys 100 women and men digging land with the spade — his fifty- 
horses not sufficient to plough all the land required for'the beet crop. 
Saw again the refinery of sugar belonging to Mr. B. ; he does^not 
consider the addition of acid, at the time of concentration, for the pur- 
pose of neutralizing an over dose of lime, as injurious, provided that 
no more be used than is necessary ; this requires care and expe- 
rience: considers the best conducted fabrics to be the most profitable. 
52,000 lbs. of beet per acre an average crop in this part of the coun- 
try. At Cambray, weather fine and all hands busily engaged in 
sowing beet ; a woman with large boards fixed on her feet, walking 
over the land to save the expense of rolling ! 

The poetry of beet sugar making has gone out; it no longer 
is made to distil in lumps of double refined, and fall into your coffee 
without cost or labour, but it has left all that any sober-minded 
man had a right to expect. If three acres of beet can be cultivated 
at a profit of 900 francs, and yield 7,200 lbs. of sugar, 2,400 lbs. 
molasses, and 18,000 lbs. of cakes, sufficient food from the cakes 
and molasses to fatten sixty sheep, and raise manure for future 
crops, all above this, must be mere poetry J 

May 24. — Farming at Mons. C.'s. The growth of beet seed has 
hitherto been of great importance : last year the price was 75 cents 
per pound; the average crop of seed 1400; one acre has brought 
5000 francs ; if the tax is laid on indigenous sugar, much of the land 
must be laid up to fallow, for want of manure to dress it : the manu- 
facturers do not object to a tax, even of 15 per cent., if it be col- 
lected without the restrictions and vexations about to be imposed 
by the odious excise laws ; it would not be possible for one in five 
to conform to the regulations proposed : the result will be, the ruin 
of hundreds of small manufacturers, sugar will rise to double the 
price, and the people will be again debarred the use of an article, 
which is no longer one of luxury but almost of necessity ; much of 
the common beverage of the country is sugar and water. 

May 25.— -Visited Mons. P.'s oil mill, the completest in the country; 
steam-engine twelve horse power ; all the works contained in one room, 
cost of machinery and building, £4000 sterling. Engaged crushing 
poppy seed and extracting oil. One acre of land will yield 800 quarts 
of poppy seed; the same land will yield from 800 to 1000 quarts of 
wheat: price of poppy .-seed, 28 francs per 100 quarts; four quarts 



38 

of seed give one quart of oil, or 25 per cent. — three-fourths of first 
quality, or cold drawn, one-fourth of second quality : price of oil of 
first quality, $22.40 per hectolitre, or 105 quarts, including the 
cask; price for second quality, $21.20. The first quality is used as 
salad oil, either alone, or mixed with olive oil ; most part of what is 
made goes to the south, where it is mixed with olive oil, and is then 
sent to Paris as genuine olive : the second quality is sent to Mar- 
seilles for making the finest soap ; it is also used for burning in 
lamps. The seed yields most oil when cultiv'ated on a soil not too 
highly manured ; the ci'op is substituted for a fallow, when the land 
is exhausted. Seed Is sown in April, the earlier, if no frost, the bet- 
ter, as new seed obtains good prices in the market. Quantity of 
seed to be sown per acre four quarts, either drilled or broadcast, 
harvested in July or August. Crop to be kept clean by hoeing. 
At harvest, the plants are carefully pulled, bound in small bundles 
and set to dry ; when quite dry, a woman takes a bundle in each 
hand and shakes the heads into a sheet ; they are then set up again, 
and have another shaking after another drying, and the seed is 
cleared in the field, when it is at once fit for the market and for 
crushing, an operation which is performed in a few minutes. The 
cultivation of the poppy is neither laborious or expensive, ranks next 
to the beet in point of profit, and the ease with which it is harvested, 
and the facility with which the crop may be turned into money, are 
amongst the strongest of its claims to notice. The stalks are of no use 
but to burn, and return little to the land in the shape of manure, but the 
cakes, which remain after the oil is expressed, are valuable food for 
cattle and sheep, and are sold for $2 per 200 lbs. — the quantity of 
cakes per acre about 150 lbs. These cakes, when ground and 
prepared, are used to adulterate chocolate, for which it is a good 
substitute; much of the chocolate used in France is thus adulterated : 
the pulverised cake is used for manure, being drilled with other seeds 
with great success. 

May 26. — A farmer, who rented land at 40 francs per acre, has 
just consented to give a rent of 150 francs per acre for the same 
land, to grow beets, rather than give it up, A person advertises 
his house and lands rent free for twenty years, to any person of 
capital, who will establish upon it a sugar manufactory, and culti- 
vate tho beet in the customary way. The proprietor of a large 



39 

estate in this immediate neighbouriiood, on which is erected a very 
large sugar manufactory, with steam-engine, steam-boilers, &,c. has 
just let the whole to a person of property ; buildings and apparatus 
complete, with all necessary machinery, for carrying on a very 
extensive business, rent free, the tenant binding himself to purchase 
of the proprietor all the beets which he can raise upon the farm, at 
10 francs per 1000 lbs., by which he will soon realize a fortune. 

May 20. — So soon as the beet crop is fit to take up, is the time 
to purchase sheep and cattle for feeding ; they are kept in the fields 
to feed upon the leaves and cuttings of the roots while taking up, 
but they are not permitted to stray over and tread on them, but are 
attended by the shepherd, and are driven to the sheds for the night. 
After the leaves are expended the sheep are confined to the sheds, 
when they grow fat in a short time, having plenty to eat and being 
prevented from roaming abroad. The sheds are divided by parti- 
tions, and about 30 sheep are put into each, those in best condition 
nearest the upper end of the building. When this first lot is sold to 
the butcher, the second lot takes possession of the pen, and a general 
remove takes place ; a fresh lot is entered at the lower end and is 
brought up in succession, so that it is pleasing to witness by en- 
tering at the lower end, the different degrees of the condition of the 
flock as you proceed upward, and you can thus ascertain to a cer- 
tainty, whether they are making a regular progress towards the 
butcher. 

May 27. — At Valenciennes is the place where chicory is grown 
for dying ; the roots are white and of the shape of the carrot, these 
are cut into small square pieces and baked until they attain a fine 
brown colour, they are then ground in a mill, and sent to the coun- 
tries in which the dying is performed ; the taste is extremely acrid 
and unpleasant, and yet large quantities are used in coffee, for what 
purpose it is not easy to conceive ; purchased some seed. 

May 28. — Leopold, king of Belgium, and son-in-law of the king of 
the French, in expectation of the tax upon beet sugar in France, has 
invited the cultivators of that crop to settle in his kingdom, where 
they will meet with every encouragement, and be furnished with a 
guarantee of freedom from taxation in their business ; many are 
going thither, a fine country and excellent land for the purpose. 

Extracts from French papers. — " However desirable it may be to' 



40 

preserve or to favour the colonies, the time of their exclusive supply 
of the market with sugar is gone by ; this species of cultivation now 
naturalized in 36 departments of France, is well worth the produce 
of three islands lost in the bosom of the ocean ; to prefer the latter 
to the former, would be about as reasonable as to adhere to the use 
of bows and arrows after the invention of gunpowder." " The 
making of beet sugar, for which the population of France has shown 
a wonderful aptitude, is a kind of godsend that should be taken 
advantage of for the uniting together of agricultural and manufac- 
turing art. The whole system of the law for imposing duties on 
beet sugar is bad, it starts from false ideas, and leads to most la- 
mentable results." 

Maij 29. — The production of sugar from the beet is not the only 
or the most valuable result to be derived from its cultivation ; it 
would appear, that almost as much stock can be kept upon the re- 
fuse of an acre of beet as upon the crop before crushing ; this is 
accounted for by the circumstance of the extreme palatableness of 
the molasses, which turns to the most delicious food, what was 
once considered fit only for the bedding of cattle. The spirit of 
industry which it engenders, and the power of reproduction which is 
contained in the large quantities of manure arising from such a 
system of feeding, are amongst the first of its advantages, while the 
increase in the value of land suitable to the growth of so invaluable 
a crop, must be of primary importance. America is destined to 
take the lead in the production of silk and sugar, as she has already 
done in cotton, rice and tobacco. 



The Society purpose to order seed from France for the next year's 
growing here. Orders transmitted to the Secretary and Treasurer, 
with proper security guaranteed for payment, will be attended to. 



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